Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Real Teacher Training - no more drive bys

“This is the work that has to be done as we go school by school, teacher by teacher, and student by student,” said Dave Saba, COO of the NMSI. “At the university level, the UTeach Institute team works closely with all our schools in the program to ensure fidelity to the program and success in recruiting the best in math and science to become teachers. At the K-12 level, our team is out in schools year-round working with administrators, teachers, and students to remove the barriers to student success.” This year, NMSI trainers helped more than 9,000 teachers introduce more rigorous hands-on learning in the classroom. Schools that adopted these lessons have seen Advanced Placement passing soar from 33 percent to 85 percent and high school graduation jump from 73 percent to 93 percent in just three years, Saba told IMT Career Journal. The challenge is helping teachers master the content and the strategies required to make this approach a success, Saba said. “To create that kind of change, it takes teacher supports — not the ‘drive-by’ training that is done in most districts, but training done over three years with online support and additional resources,” he said. “That is the only way to achieve lasting change in the classroom.”